| January 26, 2016 | Volume 12 Issue 04 |
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 | A new way to tie one on
The 4ZERO Cuff is the most advanced flexible polymer handcuff on the market and is used by select police and law enforcement agencies that demand the strongest and most durable product available. Now, the same material used to manufacture the 4ZERO Cuff is available from Micro Plastics, Inc. in the line of extremely durable 4ZERO Cable Ties designed to perform and hold their strength in extremely dry environments and in temperature extremes from -30 deg F to 400 deg F -- conditions that can leave normal nylon cable ties brittle and broken. Available sizes include: 8 in. (50 lb), 14 1/2 in. (50 lb), 11 in. (120 lb), and 22 in. (200 lb).
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 | 25 years of Chainflex® continuous-flex cables!
igus® revolutionized the design of cable for moving applications 25 years ago with the introduction of Chainflex®, and has since been offering ever-increasing numbers of power, control, servo, robot, and data cables. Now, with more than 1,040 cables types available from stock, all extensively tested in the massive 29,600-square-foot igus test lab, igus® is able to guarantee reliable cable performance for up to 10 million cycles or 36 months.
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| | Feature articles | 5-axis 3D printer wins conference award
 The Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, along with industry partner nScrypt, was honored Nov. 18 for Best Development in 3D-Printing Equipment at an IDTechEx conference. Their 5-axis multifunction SuperScrypt 3D printer expands upon the standard 3D Series gantry system by adding two more axes and additional manufacturing capabilities.
Read the full article. |
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 | Software User Spotlight:
Designing with vision using VISI CAD/CAM
With a mind for mechanics and a knack for manufacturing, Rob Rammeloo landed various positions with automotive mold manufacturing and design houses starting at age 16. Years later when one of the biggest automotive tool shops in the city was in search of a company to perform its outsourcing work, the major contract gave Rammeloo the break he needed to get his own company, Vector Mold Design, off the ground.
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 | Magnesium + ceramic = super-strong new metal nanocomposite
A team led by UCLA researchers has created a super-strong yet light structural metal nanocomposite with extremely high specific strength and modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio. The new material is composed of magnesium infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic silicon carbide nanoparticles. It could be used to make lighter airplanes, spacecraft, and cars, helping to improve fuel efficiency, as well as in mobile electronics and biomedical devices.
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 | Engineer's Toolbox:
A look at ion propulsion technology
Ion thrusters are being designed for a wide variety of space missions -- from keeping communications satellites in the proper position to propelling spacecraft throughout our solar system. These thrusters have high specific impulses (ratio of thrust to the rate of propellant consumption), so they require significantly less propellant for a given mission than would be needed with chemical propulsion. Here's a look at how they work.
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 | Mechanical: Flexible shafts for tricky spaces
Suhner Standard Flexible Shafts offer a plug-and-play solution to transmit rotary motion from a power source to where you need movement. They can handle speeds up to 50,000 rpm with high accuracy -- from printing presses and remote valve control to speedometers and power-seat actuation. Equipped with standard female couplings with set screws and available for left-hand, right-hand, or bi-directional applications in a wide range of lengths and torque ratings, these flexible shafts are easy, efficient, and virtually maintenance free for maximum design freedom in a wide variety of OEM applications. K and Ka type plastic casing flex shafts are used throughout the automotive OEM for engine control and power transmission, as well as interior controls on power seats and steering wheel adjustments.
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 | IoT: Drop-in wireless modules for Internet of Things applications
Based on the industry-leading BCM43438 IC from Broadcom, the WB4343 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Mini Modules from California Eastern Laboratories (CEL) eliminate design risk and significantly reduce time to market for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Classic, and Bluetooth Smart wireless solutions. These new devices allow designers to easily transition between multiple wireless networking standards via drop-in-compatible module hardware, so users can quickly adapt to volatile market trends in the IoT space. Regardless of which technology gains favor (ZigBee, Thread, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth), CEL's customers will be able to future-proof their hardware. Customers can also maximize their market reach by simply swapping in different technology modules, creating market-specific SKUs from a single common design.
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 | Couplings: Absorb vibration during misalignments
BELLOWFLEX Couplings from Miki Pulley have a unique design that combines a polymer resin bellows with aluminum hubs for high performance in machine applications involving vibration and misalignment. The polymer bellows allows parallel, angular, and axial shaft misalignments up to 10 degrees while maintaining constant transmission of torque and angular velocity and minimal backlash. Their radial flexibility is ideal for stepper motor and encoder applications, where they can reduce reaction forces such as side loads on shaft bearings and seals that can be caused by shaft misalignment. These couplings handle shaft speeds from 5,500 to 9,000 rpm depending on model selected. Available in the U.S. through Zero-Max.
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 | Robotics: Give Universal Robots a sense of touch
Robotiq's FT 300 force torque sensor gives a sense of touch to robots and makes automation of high-precision tasks such as product testing, assembly, and precise part insertion fast and easy to set up. This plug-and-play sensor is specially designed for Universal Robots in terms of its coupling, integration, and programming. All-in-one packages include hardware and software.
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| | Most popular last issue |
 | Wheels:
Ford GT Supercar sports Gorilla Glass hybrid technology
When tasked with developing lightweight and advanced material vehicle applications, a team at Ford approached Corning, a recognized leader in material science that introduced light and durable Gorilla Glass to the consumer electronic market in 2007. Interested in further exploring potential automotive applications, Ford engaged Corning to help research and develop a unique formulation for exterior vehicle glass.
Read the full article. |
 | Soldiers bid farewell to Army's oldest unmanned aircraft
Fielded in 1995 and retired on Dec. 16, 2015, the 23-ft Hunter was the first unmanned aircraft system to be actively employed by the U.S. Army, and it provided a valuable surveillance and reconnaissance role for troops and commanders. It featured a robust, fixed-wing, twin tail-boom design with redundant control systems powered by two heavy fuel engines.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | 3D printing comes to your coffee cup
The Ripple Maker is a commercial food printer that customizes coffee with high-quality images in just a few seconds. Images called "Ripples" are made of tiny coffee bean drops that keep the natural quality and flavor of the coffee. The device combines 3D and inkjet printing to create highly customizable images in frothy foam. One Ripple pod can make around 1,000 images. Branding never tasted so good.
View the video. |
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Tutorial: Detect and avoid bearing faults
Jason Tranter of Mobius Institute presents "9 Minutes of Knowledge #6: VIBRATION ANALYSIS" focused on diagnosing rolling element bearing faults in rotating machinery. This presentation provides great information about detection techniques to identify problems early, and how to avoid bearing problems in the first place so you have a more reliable machine.
View the video. |
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